D.C. Restaurant Under Fire For "Pill Cosby" Cocktail

A Washington, D.C. restaurant is under fire for its unfortunately-named “Pill Cosby” cocktail, a name which critics claim effectively makes light of sexual violence and rape, HuffPost Womenreports.

The drink, which was recently added to the menu at pop-up eatery Diet Starts Monday, features a floating pill capsule garnish (seriously) and, according to the owners Davin Gentry and John Geiger, was created to raise awareness for date rape. Unsurprisingly, however, most aren’t too pleased with the pun: As one Twitter user wrote, "I think we all agree drugged drinks is an issue we should be talking about AND that calling a drink 'Pill Cosby' is an awful way to do it."

Statistics show one in every five college women becomes a victim of sexual violence during her life (and according to a recent study, sexual assault often starts much earlier than that). There’s no question that sexual assault is an issue that deserves more attention. But making a pun based on Bill Cosby’s assault M.O (The comedian allegedly raped or sexually harassed at least 58 women, most of whom report that they were the victims of date rape. Cosby has denied all the allegations.) is not the way to do it — and, most agree, it’s not remotely funny.

Fortunately, after significant backlash — the phrase “Pill Cosby” was even trending on Twitter for a time on Monday — Diet Starts Monday pulled the poorly-thought-out cocktail from its menu and issued a statement apologizing for the “mistake.”

In a letter to HuffPost Women, the restaurant owners said,

“This drink was a one-time item — its inclusion as an offering of ours was in poor taste and we’ve taken all necessary steps to ensure it won’t happen again. We take full responsibility and apologize to anyone we offended. The allegations against Mister Cosby are serious and we in no way intended to make light of the pain surrounding his behavior. We rely on our community to help us guide everything we do. We appreciate all the feedback. This was a mistake, it will not be made again. We are sorry.”